Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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106. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a breakdown of the total number of applications for the reconstitution scheme for ash dieback; the number of approvals to date; and the total area and the average size of plantations affected by ash dieback that have applied for the reconstitution scheme, in tabular form. [16916/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Reconstitution Ash Dieback Scheme 2023-2027 is contained within the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 and was introduced on 24/07/2023.

Through the Reconstitution Scheme, DAFM financial support can be made available for:

a) Site clearance: This involves the clearance of ash trees and associated operations in order to present the site for reconstitution.

b) Reconstitution: This involves the replacement of ash trees with alternative species following ash clearance.

The following Forest Types are available for replanting:

*Of the applications received, 309 (1143ha) were applied for under the new Programme; the remaining 534 (2,228ha) were originally applied for under the old Programme and opted into the new Programme.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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107. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a breakdown of the capital and current funding allocated to the reconstitution scheme for ash dieback in 2023 and 2024, respectively, in tabular form. [16917/24]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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108. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the cost of increasing the site clearance grant rates and replanting grant rates under the reconstitution scheme for ash dieback by 10%, 20% and 30%, respectively. [16918/24]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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109. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the annual cost of a 10%, 20% and 30% increase in the area of plantations approved for aid under the reconstitution scheme for ash dieback, in tabular form, for each of the years 2025 to 2029. [16919/24]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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110. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of increasing funding for the reconstitution scheme for ash dieback by 1%, 2% and 10%, respectively. [16920/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 to 110, inclusive, together.

The funding for the Reconstitution scheme is capital funding and there is no current funding involved. My colleague, Minister of State Pippa Hackett will be announcing further actions shortly to deal with ash dieback which will increase demand for the reconstitution scheme and encourage entry into the scheme during the lifetime of this programme in the context of the Departments overall NDP allocation.

I therefore anticipate a full take up of the Reconstitution for Ash Dieback scheme involving all ash forests that have yet to be cleared and replanted. The annual budget allocation will be sufficient to meet this demand distributed over the lifetime of the forestry programme. The overall capital allocation for forestry in 2023 was €108. 4 million and for 2024 is €115 million.This budgetary allocation will support all the forestry schemes. To date in 2024 we have issued approvals for 2,015 hectares under the reconstitution scheme and there are applications for a further 1,356 hectares in the system at this point. I am very conscious of the fact that ash dieback is likely one of the factors potentially impeding confidence in the afforestation schemes and must be dealt with. This is why detailed deliberations have been held on the details of the action plan to be brought to Cabinet.

The costs of the Reconstitution Scheme are as agreed by the EU Commission and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP delivery and Reform. The site clearance grant was doubled to €2,000 per hectare and the new planting rates applied, as per new programme. I would not envisage a change in these rates. I, nonetheless, provide indicative figures in the table below to respond to your request for the cost of increasing the site clearance grant rates and replanting grant rates by 10%, 20% and 30% respectively.

It should be remembered that there are 7 different planting grant rates available for the replanting of ash forests. For the figures below an indicative mean of those rates is used. These figures are based on all outstanding ash forests entering the reconstitution scheme.

With respect to the annual cost of an increase in the area of plantations approved for aid under the reconstitution scheme for ash dieback for each of the years 2025 to 2029, we anticipate that all outstanding ash forests will enter the scheme on an evenly distributed basis to 2027, and we intend to meet this demand within the overall forestry budget allocation. It is of course the case that like all forestry schemes the reconstitution scheme is demand led.

We have projected that the total cost of all outstanding ash forests engaging with the Ash Dieback scheme to be €118 million. The table below shows, as requested the effect an increase of 1%, 2% and 10% would have on the overall projected expenditure figure of €118 million. As mentioned, Minister Hackett will be bringing proposals to Cabinet to encourage uptake of the Scheme.